Silent witnesses

48 years old

Józef Czekalski, 48 years old

A miner from the "Wujek" Hard Coal Mine in Katowice. Died on December 16, 1981 after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest during the pacification of the mine by ZOMO units. He had been an employee of the mine for 20 years, and was due to retire in two years time. He left a daughter. The investigation that followed was intended to conceal the perpetrators of the crime - not to punish them. This has considerably hindered the trial of militiamen from the ZOMO special platoon, accused of perpetrating the crime, which has been pending since 1993. The trial of three military prosecutors, accused by the IPN in 2004 of hindering the investigation initiated in 1982, is still pending. The trial of Czesław Kiszczak, accused of issuing the secret cryptogram that made it possible to use firearms during the pacification of striking plants, has commenced for the third time.